134 MY FIRST DAY'S FOX-HUNTING 



" Now for your lead ! " cried Emily, waving her 

 whip in the air as she cleared the fence and the 

 brook beyond it. My horse followed bravely — and 

 so should I, if I hadn't, by some unfortunate mishap 

 or other, rolled out of the saddle, and in the midst 

 of my victory fallen into the brook ! As I lay 

 sprawling on my back, and before I had time to 

 think where I was, I saw the belly of Miss Traf- 

 ford's horse as he carried her over the fence, the 

 brook, and me ! 



" Stop my horse S stop my horse ! " I roared, as 

 I came dripping wet out of the brook. " Stop my 

 horse ! " But I earnestly hoped that no one would 

 stop him, for this last contretemps had considerably 

 damped my ardour and cooled my courage ; and I 

 thought that if nobody did " stop my horse," he 

 would eventually find his way to the pound ; and 

 his absence would afford me a decent pretext for 

 going home. To my horror, though, Iron Duke was 

 brought back by the wretched lad of the spindle 

 legs. " Be the saddle greased, sir ? " said he, wiping 

 it with his nasty dirty pocket handkerchief. I 

 could have kicked him, and should have done so, 

 only I thought he might have kicked back, and so I 

 swallowed his affront, and actually gave him another 

 sixpence. Having learned from him the road to the 

 station, I was just stealing off when I heard in my 



